The first Dodge Darts to come out of a revitalized Chrysler plant in northern Illinois are being shipped off to dealers.

The compact sedan made at the Belvidere assembly plant has received good reviews from automotive analysts so far and will now be judged by consumers.

The Rockford Register Star reports that Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne visited the plant Thursday for the second time this year to congratulate workers.

Marchionne leads Italy’s Fiat SpA and took over Chrysler in 2009 after the company filed for bankruptcy protection. Around that time, the plant in Belvidere had far fewer workers
and briefly shut down, leading to fears it could close for good. Now, Chrysler is on target to boost the plant’s workforce to 4,500 this year.